Stereotypes Flashcards
1
Q
Definition of stereotypes?
A
- cognitive component of attitudes towards a social group, beliefs about a particular group
- exaggerated belief associated with a category
2
Q
What are the reasons for forming and using stereotypes?
A
- schemas (frameworks for organizing, interpreting and recalling info)
- categorizing for efficiency, stereotype consistent info is recalled quicker
- motivational purpose, feel positive about group identity (social identity)
3
Q
Dovidio, Evans and Tyler (1986)
black and white stereotypes
A
- presented with positive/negative stereotype words that are often applied to black or white people as test stimuli on screen
- asked to indicate whether word was true of the prime racial category or not
- white positive stereotype words had quicker reaction times for saying they were true
- found same effect for black positive words though difference in time was smaller
- same patterns in negative characteristics but black prime had larger difference in reaction times
- suggests stereotypes about black people are processed quicker when category is made salient
4
Q
Katz and Braly (1933)
jewish stereotypes
A
- surveyed white male Princeton students about traits they associate with 10 ethnic national groups
- given list of 84 traits and asked to select 5 most typical of the group
- found some of the stereotypes people held about Jewish people were shrewd, grasping, intelligent, industrious etc
- americans were stereotyped as industrious, intelligent, ambitious, progressive
5
Q
Katz and Braly
repeated study in 1957, 1961, 2001
A
- found stereotype content had changed and largely became more favourable
- contextual influence (e.g. segregation removed)
6
Q
Dasgupta and Asgari (2004)
gender stereotypes
A
- assessed female students gender stereotypes in 1st and 2nd year either at women’s college (all female students and mostly female staff)or co-educational (mixed)
- reaction time was measured when presented with pairs of words and images, asked to assess whether they matched and assign words to categories
- those who attended co-educational had larger implicit association test effect
- womens college had decreasing effect
- higher frequency of female faculty reduced gender stereotypes
- increased contact led to decrease in gender implicit stereotypes
7
Q
What’s the stereotype content model?
A
- exists on 2 dimensions, warmth along x axis, competence along y axis
- those high in warmth and competence provoke feelings of admiration
- just high competence=envy
- just high warmth=paternalism
- low in both=contempt
- groups who threaten access to resources or our in-group identity are treated with hostility and perceived to be low in warmth
8
Q
What is the ‘women are wonderful’ effect?
A
- consequence of idea that stereotypes are either on a spectrum of warmth and competence (warm but not competent)
- benevolent sexism, stereotypical traits of females being warm, emotional, sensitive etc
- with men as being competent, stable, tough, accomplished etc
- may be punished for not living up to them
9
Q
Deutsch, LeBaron and Fryer (1987)
A
- had to rate (happy,warm,carefree,relaxed) a verbal description of someone accompanied with either no photo, smiling photo, non-smiling photo
- smiling males seen as more positively while no photo as slightly less positive with no difference between non-smile and no photo
- non-smiling women were seen as less happy,carefree etc than men
- non-smiling women were rated less happy, warm etc than women with no photo
- double standard, if women don’t express warm non-verbal behaviour they face harsher critique
10
Q
Kay and Jost (2003)
complementary stereotypes
A
- looked at stereotypes that poor people were happier and more honest than rich people, thought it would lead to increased support
- exposed people to poor but happy and rich but miserable stereotype examples
- found that the higher they rated on system justification (how okay they were with current wealth inequality) compared to those who weren’t exposed
11
Q
Lyons and Kashima (2001)
communication chains
A
- examined transmission of stereotypes in 20 communication chains
- gave story about football player who exhibited stereotype relevant behaviours or not and looked at how they transmitted through 4 person change
- inconsistent information disappears down the chain while the consistent info stayed intact
- highlights the shared nature of stereotypes
12
Q
Lyons and Kashima (2003)
transmission of stereotypes
A
- read a story about fictional group of islanders called Jamayans, told to pass info on to others who either had knowledge on the Jamayans or not
- e.g. told they have deep love for animals or have deep hatred for them
- presented with piece of info about individual from the group, either consistent with stereotype or inconsistent about love for animals depending on what they had been told, then had to communicate info through chains
- found that when they thought they had existing knowledge there was no stereotype consistency bias
- when they thought the person next to them had no prior info they were more likely to transmit consistent information
13
Q
Maass et al (1989)
abstract communication
A
- showed rival groups cartoons depicting in or out-group members engaging in desirable or undesirable behaviours
- found that out-group undesirable traits were coded in a more abstract way than the desirable out-group traits
- shows how stereotypes are encoded using language to uphold some of the systems
- positive about in-group and negative about out-group are described in abstract as they can be seen more as true and unchanging
14
Q
What are the consequences of socially shared stereotypes?
A
- abstract linguistic communications seen as providing more info about the actor
- abstract descriptions are perceived as more stable over time
- abstract descriptions may guide subsequent information processing
15
Q
What is stereotype threat?
A
- awareness of one group’s negative stereotype giving rise to concerns about being judged against the same standards
- can undermine performance in the dominant members of the group
- anxiety plays a role in the threat emerging
